


Commander Shepard: Invictus

by AR_Torquil



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Drug Use, Drugs, Gen, Hurt, Love, Origin Story, Original Character(s), Origins, Pain, Recreational Drug Use, References to Drugs, Relationship(s), Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-28 21:44:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10840050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AR_Torquil/pseuds/AR_Torquil
Summary: Commander Shepard is a legend, but where do legends come from? From the dirt of Earth, to the sands of Akuze, to the Normandy and beyond. The origin story and further of my Commander Shepard. From her start as riff raff on Earth to the hardened Commander to the retired legend carrying a life of consequences on her shoulders.[Different warnings apply to different chapters and I'll be sure to mark them properly. I won't lie, this story spares no details in my Shepard's life. It is not for the faint of heart. This is also going to be a big project but it's definitely NOT going to just be a rehash of what happens in the trilogy. Some things are also slightly off canon for the sake of better story telling.]





	1. And So It Begins

**Author's Note:**

> And so it begins. This is the first chapter of my Commander Shepard's story. The story begins using the first name I gave her and then shifts to only her last name later on. The reason for the change will be revealed through reading. I don't know how long it will take me to get through her story but my aim is to AVOID making this a simple rehash of the games with some added thoughts and actions. This is the story of my Shepard and what it means to come from rags to rising to a legend and the consequences that come with it. It will not be pretty, as is life. So be prepared, and enjoy.

Case File: Lukas Shepard – Childhood (Age 8)  
Location: New London, Earth  
Day 174 into the Earth’s Revolution  
Year 2162: 23 Years Prior to Eden Prime

Lukas Shepard and her best friend Sam sat on the hardwood floors of Lukas’ room with their feet stretched out before them. It was just getting to sunset, their favorite time of day to do one of their favorite activities.

“Hurry, hurry! The sun’s about to set!” Sam squirmed in excitement.

“I’m trying!” Lukas pulled out a necklace from her pocket and dangled the pendant in front of the incoming rays of sun.

Once the pendant was hit by the sun’s rays the room dimmed and beautiful colors of cosmic purples and blues filled the room surrounding them. Slowly little white flecks filled in the empty spaces and the milky way galaxy formed in the center of the room. The children’s faces lit up with wonder as their galaxy surrounded them. They made a game of pointing out constellations and which of the stars made up their solar system.

“That one over there has to be Earth!” Lukas shouted and jutted her finger to a bright star in the galaxy.

“No it’s not! Earth is over here!” Sam frowned and pointed to a different star on the opposite side.

“How do you know?” Lukas frowned in protest.

“Because my Dad said so! He showed me on his ship’s map once!” Sam stuck his tongue out at Lukas and they both started to laugh.  
  
Sam was Lukas’ childhood friend. They had both grown up in the same town in New London, a location of a major space ship landing station. The town was a major tourist area because of this often bringing in travelers from all over the galaxy. Nearby was also a major Alliance Station and most of the town’s residents were those who worked for the Alliance including Sam’s father. His father was a pilot for the Alliance Cruiser SSV London part of the Fourth Fleet protecting Earth. His mother was a co-pilot for the same ship but retired when Sam was born to take care of him.  
  
Lukas’ parents on the other hand were contract workers for the Alliance, indirectly working for the Alliance in Communications and Technology. Their jobs often allowed them to work from home meaning Lukas rarely ever had to be alone. Their family wasn’t perfect but they all shared an incredible bond.

“Lukas! Sam! It’s time for dinner.” Lukas’ mother, Victoria, called from downstairs.

Lukas and Sam frowned not wanting to leave their personal galaxy.

“Come on, kids! It’s getting cold!”

Groaning Lukas put the necklace in her pocket and the galaxy instantly vanished. The two of them begrudgingly made their way downstairs to the dinner table. Lukas’ mom passed out the dinner plates and Sam’s mother, Anna, gathered the food onto the table. Sam and his mom often joined Lukas’ family for dinner while his father was deployed.

“Don’t forget to wash your hands before dinner.” Lukas’ dad, Jared, gave them a playful but stern look.

“Okay, Dad.”

“Okay, Mr. Shepard.”

Tonight was Lukas’ favorite night. Her mother always made the best baked varren and Sam’s mom made the best desserts. Lukas and Sam eagerly dove into their plates.

“Won’t you two slow down? You’re going to give yourselves a stomach ache.” Lukas’ mother shook her head.

“Don’t you know, honey? Fighting batarians and vorcha really gives you an appetite.” Lukas’ father, Jared, said with a wink to the children.

“Yeah, Mom! We almost lost Sam during that last fight.” Lukas winked back at her father.

The laughter echoing in the dining room was interrupted by a piercing noise and the house violently shaking. Plates on the table fell to the floor shattering and Lukas and Sam flew off their chairs onto the floor. Sam’s mother grabbed the both of them and dragged them down the hallway to the closet under the stairs.

“Get in here and stay quiet! We’ll be right back!” With that she slammed the door and ran off down the hallway.

“Mom!” Sam slammed his fists against the wall repeatedly.

Lukas yanked him back and slapped her hand over his mouth, “Shh! Your mom said we have to be quiet.”

Another violent tremor threw them to the back wall. Lukas’ vision blurred for a moment and she felt a wetness on the back of her head. She only noticed the ringing in her ears when she saw Sam’s mouth moving but couldn’t hear anything.

“Lukas, are you okay? Lukas!” Sam spoke quietly.

Muffled voices came through the door to Lukas’ ears. They were gruff and deep. Lukas’ and Sam’s parents were yelling back at them. “Please, no! We have children! Please, we will give you everything we’ve got!” Sam’s mom cried.

“Sorry, sweetheart, but this ain’t a robbery.” The gruff voice spoke. It sounded batarian. A gunshot sounded followed by the screams of presumably Lukas’ parents.

“M-!” Sam started to cry out but Lukas’ covered his mouth once again with her hand. She could feel his tears drip down onto her fingers. Two more gunshots sounded and the house grew eerily quiet except for the dull rumble outside. Lukas tried to keep her tears quiet as her and Sam slowly fell to the floor.

_Mom… Dad…_ Lukas whimpered quietly.

Lukas put her mouth to Sam’s ear and whispered, “Sam…” her voice shook, “we have to get out of here.” Sam gave a shaky nod. “Let’s wait until they walk away and then run for the back door okay?” He gave another shaky nod. Lukas quietly moved to the door and listened for footsteps. At first the footsteps grew closer to the door and stopped. Lukas grabbed her chest as if the batarian on the other side could hear her heart pounding. After what felt like an eternity she heard the footsteps go off in another direction. She released her breath and turned to Sam nodding. Slowly she opened the cabinet door checking the path to the door. _Clear_.

“Go!” She grabbed Sam by the forearm and took off for the backdoor.

Behind her she heard someone shout, “The children! They’re getting away!”

A batarian replied, “Ah, let them go. We aren’t here for them. Besides they’ll probably be eaten by a wild varren anyways.”

Lukas didn’t bother to stop running after the backdoor slammed shut behind them. The sound of bullets and bombs in the background kept her adrenaline pumping. _We have to find Sam’s dad._ Lukas kept them running behind houses and through dark alleyways to keep them out of sight.

“My dad…” Sam huffed, “he’ll know…what to do.” Lukas could tell he was crying by the sound of his voice. She squeezed his hand tightly for comfort.

The route they were on led them straight to the Alliance Station. The front entrance was surrounded by local police and military officers. Two guards were standing on either side of the path leading up to the building blocking any entry.

Sam ran up to one of the guards huffing and puffing, “Have you seen my dad? I need to find my dad!” He proceeded to rattle on about the attack and his mom, his voice shaking.

“Woah, kid, slow down. I’m sorry but no one can enter the building right now. It isn’t safe.” The soldier knelt down to Sam’s level. “Now, tell me one more time. What happened?”

Sam sniffled and wiped his nose. “We were eating and…and then there was a loud boom. My mom told us to hide under the stairs but… But then there were these big men talking and then they…they shot my mom… And Lukas’s parents too.” Sam looked back at Lukas and back at the soldier.

“You got away? You’re both so brave!” The soldier tried his best to give a comforting smile and an affectionate rub of Sam’s shoulders.

“We need to find my dad,” Sam continued, “he’s a soldier. I need to tell him what happened to mom.”

The soldier nodded and opened his Omni-tool, “Okay what’s his name?”

“Jack.”

“I need a last name, son.”

“Hanchester… And I’m Sam.”

The soldier nodded and smiled, “Alright just give me a second.” He stood and walked a few feet away. He dialed his commanding officer on his omni-tool, “Sir, this is Chief Trent, I have two young children here who escaped from the attack. One of them is a young boy named Sam looking for his father Jack Hanchester.” He paused for a moment neither Sam nor Lukas could hear what the other person was replying. They waited a long while before seeing him close his omni-tool and slowly approach them. His face was dismal and he knelt before Sam once again. “Son, I’m so sorry but… Your father is gone. He was killed in the attack.”

Lukas could see Sam’s shoulders start to shake violently and we wailed clinging to the soldier. Her own vision blurred and she fell to her knees. She felt a hand touch her shoulder and looked up. The other officer was kneeling in front of her. She tried to hold back but the pain was simply too much for her young heart. She crashed into him and buried her face into his uniform. “It’ll be okay, kid,” he whispered.


	2. Vagabonds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Graphic Depictions of Violence. Graphic Depictions of Violence Against Children.
> 
> No holding back.

Case File: Lukas Shepard – (Age 10)

Location: New London, Earth – The Slums

Day 236 into the Earth’s Revolution

Year 2164: 21 Years Prior to Eden Prime

The door opened to a creaky, rundown house in the slums near New London. Sam walked in dragging a dead animal carcass, “Lukas, I caught another varren!”

Lukas finished stoking the fire and setting up the spit. She ran over to Sam and helped him move the body to the fire. She pulled her combat knife out of her pocket and began skinning the varren. It will be nice to have a full stomach again. It had been weeks since their last decent meal.

“This one’s nice and fat,” Sam gloated his eyes gleaming with pride.

Lukas’s stomach growled as she skillfully slid her blade under the layers of skin. “If we leave the leftovers by the door the cold should keep it fresh for tomorrow.” Winters in New London were exceptionally cold and tonight was no different.

Sam agreed, “We need to hide it to keep the mercenaries from stealing our meat again.” He collected a bucket catching water under a leak in the roof to wash the meat. “Covering it with a blanket and covering it in those dead squirrel carcasses from last night should be enough.”

"Good idea." Lukas hacked off a couple of chunks of meat and stuck them on the spit. “So where did you find this one?”

“You know that alley by the Butcher’s shop on Grand Street? I found him eating scraps from the dumpster. I hit in the head with a rock and then stabbed it with my knife.” Lukas laughed at how much pride was in Sam’s voice.

Lukas took the cooked meat off the spit and split it amongst the two of them. She tore into the meat ravenous and ill-mannered. The warmth of the meat radiated through her and she sighed. “That was great.”

“Yeah it was.” Sam stood and dragged the carcass to the door covering it and masking the smell like they planned.

While Sam cloaked their leftovers Lukas snuffed the fire out. Already she missed the heat and her body tensed in anticipation of the cold. Her stomach ached from its fullness and she felt her eyelids grow heavy. It had been another cold, hard day and she wanted nothing more than to sleep it off. She climbed up the creaky staircase to the second floor and made her way to the bedroom. The old bed groaned even under her light weight. It wasn’t comfortable but it was certainly better than the floor and had a thick comforter that she snuggled under. Sam joined her soon after and they cuddled for more warmth. It was Sam's steady breathing that lulled her to sleep that night.

Dreams of death and destruction haunted Lukas in her sleep. The town of her childhood lay engulfed in flame before her. She was looking through the window of her old house and watching as raiders of all species decimated buildings and captured prisoners. Lukas could do nothing but watch in horror and scream. She saw Sam outside and tried to call to him but couldn’t utter a sound. He was just standing there staring at her. Why wouldn't he come inside? Couldn’t he see what was happening? Why wasn’t he running? Why...

A dull, incoherent voice crept through to her. Slowly it grew louder and she began to recognize it. The voice belonged to Sam and it was out of place, almost surrounding her. Lukas opened her eyes to find Sam staring down at her.

“Lukas! Lukas, wake up!” he shook her shoulders, a look of worry on his face.

“I was screaming again, wasn’t I?” her voice was hardly more than a whisper.

Sam nodded, “You were having another nightmare.”

Not wanting to dwell on her nightmare Lukas stretched out and stood. “What do you want to do today?”

Sam’s face was sympathetic, just the face she didn’t want to see. “Uhm, I don’t know. You wanna go snag some fruit from that turian shopkeeper?” He tried his best to smile at her.

“Sure,” she shrugged and threw her red locks up into a ponytail.

Lukas headed downstairs first and prepared the fire pit to cook their breakfast. She grabbed her flint and a rock to spark the fire up. A handy trick Sam’s father had taught them. He had been a firm believer in tradition and being able to rely on one’s self rather than technology. She missed him just as much as she missed her own parents.

Sam joined her at the fire hacking off more chunks of varren meat for their breakfast. He huddled close to her trying to bring her some comfort. The nights weren’t easy for him either Lukas could tell but she appreciated him for his efforts. Lukas smiled and leaned against his shoulder. The two of them consumed their breakfast in comfortable silence.

***

Sam and Lukas peeked through the slits in the makeshift fence separating the slums from the grand metropolis of New London. Technically it was against the law to discriminate against the poor by building a fence but that didn't stop the city residents from doing it anyways. Through the slits they could see the turian shopkeeper selling his wares to another customer.

"How do you wanna do this?" Lukas whispered.

"I'll try to distract him-maybe throw some rocks at him-and you can come from behind and snatch something." Sam smiled at his little plan.

"Good idea."

Sam climbed the fence first waiting until no one was watching to slip into the crowd unnoticed. Lukas watched him carefully waiting until the right moment. At first Sam clung to a nearby group standing near the turian's shop pretending to look uninterested. When the turian was occupied with another customer Lukas watched him gather a few rocks scattered across the road.

“Hey!” Sam chucked the rocks at the turian's shop.

“You again?” the turian was furious, “How many times have I told you to knock that shit off?” He directed his attention to Sam and Lukas leapt over the fence.

She sprinted to the shop while the turian's back was turned and snatched as much fruit as she could fit in her pockets of her jacket and jeans.

“Hey, kid, that’s stealing!” A nearby police officer caught her in the act and she bolted for the fence. If she could make it back to the slums chances are the authorities wouldn’t even bother chasing her.

Lukas snuck a glance over her shoulder and saw Sam running for the back alleys. The officer was trying to close the gap between them and the turian was shouting curses she couldn’t comprehend. Her adrenaline pounded in her chest. Almost there. She sprung for the top of the fence line losing a few pieces of fruit in the process. This was it. The final stretch. She tumbled to the ground with a thud, but quickly regained her feet. She darted in between the old, decrepit houses avoiding the exact way home just in case she was being followed.

She slowed to a halt and looked over her shoulder. _Clear_. Lukas used the opportunity to catch her breath and leaned against a nearby wall. Her heart hammered in her chest and the air she sucked into her lungs stung from the cold. Even through her gloves the cold nipped painfully at her fingertips and she stuffed her hands in her pockets. With one last look behind her for good measure she changed her course for the abandoned house her and Sam had deemed ‘home’ for the past two years. Her pace was quick and quiet, the slums were known for its gangs and she didn’t want to stumble into any thugs lurking in the shadows.

The route home was so familiar to her now that it was muscle memory. A left here, a right there, then three more blocks to a side street and another left turn. This place was so different from the town she lived in with her parents. Before… Lukas rubbed the sting in her eyes on her sleeve and looked down at her feet marking tracks in the snow. She missed her parents so much. She could still hear the ringing in her ears as the bomb went off by their house. The grating voice of the intruders as they shouted on the other side of the cabinet door. The gunshots echoing through the small space and the blood creeping under the crack of the door. It was a memory that she very rarely found refuge from. Only when Sam was with her to talk to her and keep her company. Sam was the only family she had left in this godforsaken place.

Lukas wasn’t at all surprised when Sam was already waiting for her in the house. The boy rarely ever walked to his destination. She went straight to the fire her friend had already started and held her hands by the flame.

“Team Awesome strikes again,” Sam cheered and struck a dorky pose.

Lukas giggled, “Team Awesome? That’s lame.”

Sam gave her a sidelong glance before snatching one of the fruits from her jacket. “You come up with something better then!”

Lukas chose to ignore him and rubbed her stiff hands together for more warmth. When she regained feeling in her fingers she pulled a fruit from her pocket and munched on it hungrily. The sweet juice dripped down her chin and wet the tips of her gloves. It wasn’t very often they ran the risk of stealing in such a large amount. Normally it was a piece of bread or candy but it was nice to bring home something in bulk sometimes. And they still had the varren leftover from the night before.

“Hey, Lukas, it’s almost sunset.” Sam licked his fingers and smiled at her from across the fire. He looked kind of cute with his hair disheveled and bangs in his face and Lukas blushed.

She knew what Sam meant by the sunset and excitement washed over her. She touched the pendant beneath her jacket and shirt. “Let’s go upstairs!”

The two of them raced up the stairs to the bedroom and hopped on the bed. Lukas pulled the pendant off her neck and held it in front of the sun’s rays entering through the window. Like so many times before the room began to shift and swirl around them. Before long the entire Milky Way galaxy swallowed the room. Lukas smiled and leaned on Sam's shoulder.

“Just like from before,” Sam’s voice was whisper and he leaned back onto her. It was a while before he spoke again, “Hey, Lukas… Maybe we can leave here some day. We could find some nice people to take us out there and really see space for ourselves.”

“Yeah,” she mumbled.

Sam’s face brightened, “Oh, I know! We could join the Alliance like my Dad!”

Lukas enjoyed that idea. She imagined being aboard one of the giant ships she’d seen leaving port so many times and travelling to the far reaches of the galaxy. “We could fight space pirates!”

“Yes, and-!” A loud thud from below cut Sam off. Both of them looked at each other unsure of what to feel. Maybe they had just imagined it?

They heard footsteps and their eyes widened with fear. Lukas tucked the pendant into her jean pocket and scrambled under the bed with Sam. Neither of them uttered a sound, even holding their breath as they waited and listened. Loud, heavy footsteps thundered up the staircase and stopped outside the door.

“This is the place, right?” a female voice sounded from the hall.

“That’s what the homeless guy down the street said,” a thick, gruff voice replied and Lukas recognized it as krogan.

Lukas gave a hard swallow. She could feel Sam shaking beside her. There was shuffling and two sets of armored feet entered her view. Her teeth clenched and she held her breath as the figures moved about the room.

_Please no. Please just leave!_

“Here, here, kiddies!” It was the female again, her tone was high and mocking, “We’ve got a score to settle. You two pissed off the wrong turian.”

Suddenly Lukas detested the still fresh taste of fruit in her mouth. Her gut sank and she wished for the power to rewind time.

Lukas and Sam shrieked as the bed was tossed to the other side of the room. The krogan chuckled and an asari smirked down at them still glowing in her biotic power. The two of them tried to run but the krogan clutched Sam by the neck and pinned him against the wall.

“Not so fast, brats.” The asari whirred with biotic static again and slammed Lukas against the wall.

Lukas gasped as the air was knocked from her lungs. She sobbed uncontrollably trying to fight her stasis field. “We’re sorry! We didn’t mean it! We won’t ever do it again!”

The krogan chuckled, “Too late for that.”

Sam struggled against the krogan's grip flailing and screaming. “Please! Please let us go!”

“Shut up!” the krogan growled and squeezed him tighter.

But Sam wouldn’t listen. He screamed and cried and kicked. Lukas could see the fury in the krogan's eyes. _Sam!_ She wanted to scream but she could only muster a choked sob. This wasn’t real. It wasn’t happening.

“I said shut up, kid!” and all at once Sam was quiet. Lukas's stomach lurched at the sound of snapping bones. Her friend's body fell limp with a look of pure terror cemented on his face.

“Well, fuck, Tarkin, we weren’t supposed to kill ‘em!” the asari dropped Lukas in her annoyance.

Lukas crumpled to the floor emptying her stomach contents in the process. Her vision blurred with a flood of tears and her head pounded. This wasn’t real. It wasn’t happening…

“Oops,” the krogan shrugged with apathy and dropped Sam's body to the floor.

“Aw shit. I just paid for these boots! Fucking, kid!”

A blue boot entered Lukas's vision and all at once the world flashed to black.

***

A young street thug watched from a few blocks back as a krogan and an asari wearing Blue Suns armor exited some abandoned house. The asari seemed irritated by the way she slid her boot across the ground and the expression on her face.

He waited for the two mercenaries to leave before keying in his boss on his omni-tool. “Hey, boss, it’s Finch. Just saw a couple of Blue Suns leaving a place up here. Looked like Isazia's people.”

“Zia? What the fuck are her people doing out here?”

“Probably storing Red Sand or something. Want me to check it out?”

His boss pondered for a second before responding, “Yeah, go ahead. If it’s anything good I’ll send some of the boys to help you collect it. Bitch owes me for that last shipment anyways.” With that his boss ended the call.

Finch strode over to the house and casually kicked the door open with his foot. There wasn’t a damn thing in the place aside from a fire pit and a heap of something covered by the door. He pulled off the blanket covering the heap only to find the rotting corpse of a dead varren.

“The fuck?”

He chucked the blanket inside and headed up the stairs. Maybe whatever they were hiding was up a floor. Finch turned to the first room he came to and the sight honestly threw him off his game. The bodies of two young kids were lying on the floor and furniture was strewn across the room.

“Well shit.”

Finch walked into the room and checked out the bodies on the floor. The kids looked young, no more than ten he guessed. He didn’t even need to get a close look to know that one of them was dead. It was a boy and his neck was visibly crushed with his eyes bulging from his skull. The other belonged to some red haired girl but he honestly couldn’t tell if she was dead or not.

Curiosity got the better of him and he approached the girl's body. He didn’t notice the vomit splayed across the floor until he nearly stepped in it. _Gross_. He bent down and rolled the girl onto her back. She was definitely breathing but she was out cold and her nose was broken.

He stood up and keyed in his boss again. “It's just a couple of kids. Looks like they pissed off the wrong merc leader. One's dead and the other is out cold. What do you want me to do?”

His boss didn’t reply for some time and Finch started to wonder if the connection was bad. “Leave the dead one. Bring the other one to me.”

Finch furrowed his brow, “Really, boss? What are you going to do?”

“I don’t fuckin' pay you to question me. Just bring the kid here.” His boss abruptly ended the call.

“You hardly fuckin' pay me at all, _boss_ ,” Finch grumbled as he hoisted the girl's body over his shoulder and left. 


End file.
